The Hills
by LeaderOfTheRoyalGuard
Summary: Caim and Furiae come across one of their old picnic spots from when they were children...


It had been a few years since the Empire had taken their home and destroyed everything they had owned and loved. Caim and Furiae found their way to one of their family's old stomping grounds, a large, hilly field. It had always been beautiful and it made Caim's heart flutter as he noticed that it had yet to be touched by the hands of the Empire. The grassy knolls and the lovely trees around them had stayed intact over the past few years.

Caim sat in the old spot that their father had always picked out for them when they had come here and he looked up at the large oak tree, remembering their old life. He felt his sister sit against him and lay her head on his shoulder.

"It is beautiful... It has not changed one bit," Furiae said, sliding herself closer to her big brother.

"Agreed," Caim said back. They both stared at the grass and reminisced. They sat in silence until Caim moved and stood. He held out his hand to Furiae and she took it, letting her stand him up. She was going to ask what he was going to do, but his childish smile made her realize what he meant to do and they both turned and raced up the largest of the hills. Of course Caim had the strength and the endurance of a soldier, but she remembered his weakness in these races from their childhood. She tripped and fell to the ground, rolling a bit down the hill before catching herself. Caim's overprotective nature got the best of him, as it did when they were kids and he doubled back to help her up.

"Furiae are you alr-" She took off up the hill as he helped her up. "Oh dammit!" He laughed as his sister got a good head start in front of him. She rounded the top of the hill and stood under their large oak tree, cheering to herself.

"I won! I won!" she gloated and Caim laughed along.

"Because you cheated!"  
>"Hey how is me using my feminine charm any different than you using your soldier legs?"<p>

"Because I had to train for it!" He retorted and chuckled.

"And I didn't have to train to be this beautiful?" She joked. And they both sat against the tree, breathing deeply.

"I have missed this place."

"As have I..." They both became more solemn as they remembered the death and agonizing fright that had surrounded them for the past years since the Empire had taken their home and family. But Caim didn't want this solemn feeling to remain and he stood again, turning to face the tree.

"What are you doing, Caim?" Furiae asked, not getting up, but sitting forward to look at where her brother was gazing.

"I'm looking for our names... Here they are!" Furiae stood as Caim pointed to their names carved into the side of the large oak. "It's grown quite a bit since we did this." He was right. Their names had come up to their eye level height in the time since they had been children. She moved over closer to her brother and laid her head on his shoulder a tear of remembrance flowed down her cheek.

Caim was feeling the same way and turned to face his sister, a similar tear flowing down from his eye. He wiped the tear from his sister's cheek and she did the same for his before they turned, remembering their old ritual after coming to the top of the hill. They stared down the hill to where their parents used to wait and wave at them to come back. Caim laid on the ground and he watched as Furiae did too and the two rolled down the hill sideways, arms folded across their chests. They came to the bottom in a fit of laughter and laid on the grass, looking up at the sky, their heads only inches away from one another. Furiae pointed to a cloud and spoke.

"Does that one not look like a horse?" Caim found the cloud and laughed.

"Actually yes!" He said, looking for another picture in the clouds. He found one a few seconds later but so had Furiae.

"There's a rabbit!" They both yelled at the same time and they laughed again. This kept up for a couple more minutes before they stood, looked around in happy remembrance and Caim gave Furiae a piggy-back ride back to their camp. Inuart greeted them and in this mood even Inuart didn't make Caim as angry as he usually did.

A couple hours passed before Caim saw the smoke rising over the hill leading to his and Furiae's old playground. He knew it was the Empire and watched as their soldiers began filing out of the hill paths. He took up his sword, forgot his past and reveled in his exacting of vengeance. Cutting through the soldiers he saw their tree, burning with a bright fire and he watched as it was completely engulfed in fire, all but one slight part where, even from his position quite a ways away, he could read his and Furiae's names before they disappeared in the orange blaze. He continued on with his slaughter, tears filling his eyes as he slaughtered every last Empire soldier in his sights.


End file.
